Lichfield War Memorial, Garden Walls, Balustrades and Gate with Gate Piers

Overshadowed by Lichfield Cathedral to the north, the war memorial screen stands at the east wall of the garden, part of the Cathedral Close and Linear Park (Grade II-registered). It was first listed at Grade II on 5 February 1952 along with the red brick C18 garden walls, gate piers and C19 stone balustrading. The wrought iron garden gate with an ornamented overthrow bearing the motto PAX – 1919 is hung from large brick piers with ashlar caps. These support tall stone heraldic lions bearing Lichfield city’s coat of arms and frame the war memorial from Bird Street.

Designed in the English Renaissance style, the war memorial comprises a large ashlar screen wall in Guiting stone in the form of a classical basilican church façade, raised on a high plinth. The pedimented centre of the screen, raised on reeded and fluted Roman Ionic pilasters, encloses a semi-circular shell-headed niche with a Portland stone figure of St George standing on the dragon. St George holds a bronze spear in his right hand and his shield in his left. The tympanum of the pointed pediment is decorated with a scallop shell and leaves carved in relief.

The niche is flanked by panels with the six years from 1914 to 1919 suspended from lion masks and interspersed with bunches of hanging fruit and flowers. The side compartments have crowned wreaths in the half gables with swept copings and panelled end piers. The end piers are topped with tall urn-like pinnacles finished each with a ball and draped foliage.

The lower part of the memorial contains six Westmorland slate plaques in two rows of three. The principal dedicatory inscription, flanked by lists of names, on the upper middle plaque reads REMEMBER WITH THANKSGIVING/ THE MEN OF THIS CITY/ WHO IN THEIR/ COUNTRYS HOUR OF NEED/ WENT FORTH/ ENDURED HARDNESS/ FACED DANGER/ AND FINALLY/ PASSED OUT OF/ THE SIGHT OF MEN/ BY THE PATH OF SACRIFICE/ AND THE GATE OF DEATH/ LET ALL WHO COME AFTER/ SEE TO IT/ THAT THESE DEAD/ SHALL NOT HAVE DIED/ IN VAIN/ THAT THEIR NAME/ BE NOT FORGOTTEN/ AND WHAT THEY STROVE FOR/ PERISH NOT. The upper left and right plaques list further names.

The later dedication, also flanked by names, on the lower middle plaque reads THESE LOWER PANELS/ ARE DEDICATED/ TO THOSE/ WHO DIED/ IN THE CAUSE/ OF FREEDOM/ DURING/ THE WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945/ AND THE/ STRUGGLES WHICH/ FOLLOWED. The two plaques either side record the remaining fallen of the Second World War.

While the ensemble is listed as an entity, it is the memorial itself which possesses the more than special interest.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 19 January 2017.